Olympic Torch Protests May Threaten U.S. Relay

Juliana Barbassa And Marcus Wohlsen in San FranciscoAssociated Press

April 9, 2008

Security was tightened on the Golden Gate Bridge and elsewhere around the city Tuesday as officials prepared for massive protests of China's crackdown in Tibet during the Olympic torch's only North American stop on its journey to Beijing.

The torch is scheduled to be paraded through the city Wednesday on a six-mile (about ten-kilometer) route that hugs San Francisco Bay. Already, one runner who planned to carry the torch dropped out because of safety concerns, officials said.

The 85,000-mile (136,794-kilometer) journey began in Ancient Olympia in Greece on March 24, and was the focus of protests from the start.

"Deeply Saddened"

Meanwhile, a few miles away in Chinatown, leaders of China's expatriate community held a news conference calling for a peaceful relay, and said they were proud China was selected to host the summer games.

"We recognize the right for people to protest and express their views, but it should be nonviolent. We are very sad for all the athletes and the people who expected so much from the run and have been spoiled of their joy," Rogge said.

Hundreds of activists carrying Tibetan flags and wearing traditional clothes gathered in United Nations Plaza, a pedestrian area near San Francisco's City Hall, to denounce China's policy toward Tibet and the recent crackdown on protesters there. They then marched to the Chinese Consulate as part of a daylong Tibetan Torch Relay.

"This is not about us battling the torchbearers," Lhadom Tethong, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, told the crowd outside the consulate. "This is about the Chinese government using the torch for political purposes. And we're going to use it right back."

Pro-Tibet activists and other human rights groups said they'd encouraged their supporters to protest peacefully and not disrupt the relay or the torch runners.